


Cramps? What Cramps?

by F-117 Nighthawk (F117_Nighthawk)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Mentions of Blood, Nonbinary Pidge | Katie Holt, Shiro is a Good Space Dad, Trans Keith (Voltron), literally all of this is complaining about periods, they/them pronouns for Pidge, trans masc keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 13:51:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15341235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/F117_Nighthawk/pseuds/F-117%20Nighthawk
Summary: Keith mumbled something they couldn’t make out, looking away.“What?”“I’ve never felt a period cramp in my life.”Pidge and Keith are both on their period and very grumpy about it.





	Cramps? What Cramps?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jaythefae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaythefae/gifts).



> For Jay, for giving me the idea :)

Keith was uncomfortable. He was sitting in the common room with a cup of Hunk’s tea, trying to ward off the cold of the Castle. Pidge’s head was on his lap and they were curled up on their side next to him, arms pressed against their stomach.

None of this was why he was uncomfortable, though. No, he was uncomfortable because his period somehow always managed to make the cold of the Castle worse. Hence the tea. 

He sighed and rubbed one hand along Pidge’s side. They were tensed up, but loosened slightly when he did so. Keith looked up when he heard a noise and found Coran poking his head in. “How are you two doing, Paladins?”

Pidge meerly grunted at him, while Keith shrugged. “Kinda cold, but I’m doing okay.”

Coran walked into the room and set what he was carrying down on the table. “Well, I brought you both some painkillers, and poor Pidge a heating pad.”

Keith nudged Pidge upright and leaned forward to grab the heating pad off the table. Pidge gratefully took it and shoved it under their shirt. They sipped the tea Coran gave them and instantly seemed to feel better. “Thanks, Coran.”

“Of course. If there’s anything else you need, feel free to ask.”

“Actually....” Keith mused, “Is there any way you could make the suits better for fighting in when you’re bleeding heavily?”

Coran blinked at him. “Uhm....I suppose I could ask Allura if she could modify them with alchemy to add onto the life support system something that can help close wounds? But I really don’t want to encourage your recklessness somehow by doing that.” He peered down at the Red Paladin. “Why, are you planning something reckless that may get you hurt?”

Keith blinked up at him. “No no no, not injuries. Period blood.”

“Oh. Do you really bleed that heavily?”

“So much,” Pidge grumped. “So,  _ so _ much. And fighting with it is  _ the worst.” _

“You can just  _ feel _ it every time you run, or have to move your legs into a stance any wider than your shoulders,” Keith complained, “It’s  _ distracting _ and that’s  _ bad _ when you’re fighting for your life. And then if we’re stuck in our armor for a while there isn’t time to change a pad, much less a tampon, and when you wear a pad for too long your butt  _ will _ get irritated and it’s  _ sticky _ and it’s just...the most uncomfortable thing ever.”

Pidge groaned from where they had shifted back to lie on Keith’s lap again. “Oh god agreed. And don’t get me  _ started _ on fighting with cramps. The only reason you can even function is the adrenaline because without it you’d be crying on the floor of the hangar and even with it if someone kicks you you are  _ down, not getting back up, any painkillers you may have taken be damned.  _ Absolute worst thing ever, right, Keith?”

Keith blinked at them. “Uh, yeah.”

They narrowed their eyes. “That didn’t sound very convincing.” Pidge blinked at the table then. “Wait, you didn’t take your painkillers.”

Keith mumbled something they couldn’t make out, looking away.

“What?”

“I’ve never felt a period cramp in my life.”

They gaped at him. “What?” they repeated, disbelieving eyes staring up at him.

“I mean, I think I can feel when they’re  _ supposed _ to happen? But I don’t...I know they’re supposed to be painful but I don’t feel the  _ pain, _ just that there’s supposed to be pain.”

“Ah, that sounds like your dovra kicking in,” Coran interrupted, “It normally only releases when paired with catok or a similar hormone, but perhaps your period somehow triggers it as well.”

Pidge sat up and turned to face Keith. “You mean you’re telling me, that because he’s Galra, he doesn’t get period cramps.”

Keith shied away from the look in Pidge’s eyes. “Yeeeeesssss?”

Keith just managed to roll over the back of the couch before Pidge jumped at him. “Goddamnit give me some of that!”

He grinned and ran out the nearest door.

* * *

Shiro was enjoying a leisurely probably midafternoon stroll through the Castle’s corridors, a book of Altean history in his hand, enjoying the brief moment of peace and quiet.

It was quickly interrupted when Keith barreled around the corner, a wild grin on his face, and slammed straight into him. Keith didn’t even hit the ground, quickly finding his balance again and looking up at Shiro. “Save me from Pidge’s wrath?”

Shiro sighed. “What did you do?”

Keith didn’t respond and darted around to hide behind Shiro as Pidge skidded around the corner.  _ “Give me some of that dovra you stupid pain unfeeling half-Galra!” _

“I  _ really _ don’t think that’s a good idea, Number Five!” Coran’s voice echoed down the corridor. He appeared behind Pidge momentarily, grabbing their arm to prevent them from dashing around Shiro to get to Keith.

“Alright, stop, what’s going on.”

Pidge stared straight into Shiro’s eyes. “Keith has never had a period cramp in his life.”

Shiro turned a quizzical eye on Keith, silently asking for an explanation as to why that had caused Pidge to run after him. Keith shrugged. “Hey, I can’t control my biology.”

Coran provided him an actual explanation: “Apparently his Galran hormones prevent him from feeling the same pain that Pidge does, and Pidge wishes to try it themself, which is a potentially  _ very dangerous _ idea.”

“I’m joking. Mostly.”

Shiro looked at the ceiling and took a moment to despairingly ask the universe how his life had ended up like this. Floating in a space castle with a bunch of aliens, one of whom was his brother, acting as something akin to a dad to a bunch of teenagers. 

“Hunk should be done making that ice cream by now.”

Pidge perked up at that and Keith poked his head out of his hiding spot. “Yeah! Here, come on, Coran, you  _ have _ to have some authentic Earth ice cream!” Together the two of them dragged Coran in the direction of the kitchen. Shiro shook his head and followed them.

Well, even if this was a stranger life than he ever thought he would end up living, he loved it nonetheless. 


End file.
